Across Worlds and Time
by The Golden Hierophant
Summary: When Setzer and Terra are transported to Ivalice how will they react to their newly rediscovered magic? Will they vanquish the new evil that plagues Ivalice with Ramza’s aid? More importantly still, will they ever find a way to go home? FFVI FFT Crossover
1. Chapter 1

Yfir Veröld og Tími

(Across Worlds and Time)

Rating: T

Crossover: FFT/FFVI

Summary: When Setzer and Terra are transported to Ivalice how will they react to their newly rediscovered magic? Will Terra and Setzer vanquish the new evil that plagues Ivalice with Ramza's aid? More importantly still, will they ever find a way to return home?

A/N and Disclaimer: This story focuses heavily on the development of back stories for the characters with somewhat vague backgrounds in storylines. I'm a fan of the less than usual pairings of Terra/Setzer and Terra/Sabin as opposed to Terra/Edgar and Terra/Locke. For the Final Fantasy Tactics half of this story, I chose to use my generics as part of the story rather than mindless drones in the background. Anyone who has played FFT knows all about generics. Generics are the randomly named characters that you acquire in the beginning of the game or invite to your party along the way from enemy groups. There is also the option to hire them. Most of my generics were part of Ramza's party in the beginning or I found them in the Deep Dungeon Side Quest later. I altered some parts of the original storylines of both games to make them fit together. My reason for doing so: Artistic License. If I wanted to write a novelization of both games, I'd titled this differently and the story would be way more boring. This looks perfectly spaced on my computer right now, but when converting to an internet format documents tend to get scrunched up. So if this story disappears for a while, I'm fixing the spacing.

I like FFVI and FFT, hence I'm writing a crossover fanfiction about the two; we can debate the _real_ Final Fantasies of the series so other time. I'm trying to keep the main characters true to their nature in the game. Critiques and Comments are always appreciated. I'd also love to eventually acquire a reliable beta reader rather having to read the chapter over fifty times to make sure it's mistake free. I can never catch my own mistakes until days later. So if anyone is interested in beta reading send me a pm.

If I didn't mention that I don't own FFT and FFVI in that wall of text already then I'm doing so now. Square-Enix or Square Soft (whatever they call themselves these days.) owns the games. (If I did, some male characters would be wearing considerably a lot less clothing than they normally do.) Ahem! There's sand on my boots and reviewers get cookies with a side serving of Light of Judgment.

---

"_Altima, where are you? I see. You too have fallen into oblivion. There is no choice. It is up to me now to restore order and the dominance of the Lucavi over humanity. Ivalice will fall into darkness. No. Not only will Ivalice be brought to my power, but also the Great Eight with it." _

---

Chapter I: The World of Technology and the Dying Order

Goug was always one the grimiest cities Ramza had ever been to. The entire town always seemed to have a light dusting of soot on it. The dust-filled air came from the deep mines with their ancient hidden technology experimented on by eccentric collectors and machinists from the surface. Still Goug had its charms. The aura of adventure and wonder always floated around in Goug on every corner and doorstep of each street. Ramza never knew what to expect when he was in Goug. The first time he came, Ramza was nearly killed in an attempt to rescue Mustadio's father, Besrodio from Cardinal Draclau's menacing mercenaries. The last time he came, Ramza lost a close friend not in death, but in time and space. Cloud Strife, who Ramza had fought with against Altima, was sent back to his own world and time.

Ramza sighed in remembrance and stared at the impenetrable skies above. The adventure was over, but the longing for a quest still remained. The happiest days of his life were those fighting against Altima and her zodiac minions. He had a cause then. Now no longer, Ramza became one of many nameless faces in the crowd. Also being branded a heretic by the Church meant that he couldn't remain in any one area too long in Ivalice. He sighed again. He could no longer adventure, but could find no peace either. Ramza looked at the burdensome bundle in his arms. He carried a mess of victuals for the team at Mustadio's home. Mustadio attempted to dissuade Ramza from going out into the open, but Ramza adamantly disagreed. He was tired of feeling useless; the least he could do was to buy provisions without getting an arrow from a headhunter in his back.

Ramza approached a small dome shaped building on the edge of the Goug mines. The dome, Mustadio's home, was only an entrance to a network of rooms underground. The home connected to some of Goug's main mine routes and allowed easy access in and out. Ramza looked around for a moment to make sure he wasn't being followed and entered the house with a key. He tightly shut the door behind him and latched a series of locks and bolts.

Ever since the incident a few years previous, Besrodio installed many new locks to improve the security of his home. Ramza walked to the opposite side of the dome and set down his purchases. He rubbed his palm against the wall looking for a switch. Once he had found the switch he pulled it. A panel on the wall rose revealing a system of pulleys and a large tray. He placed the provisions on the tray and pulled one of the pulleys lowering another pulley. His purchases disappeared into the looming darkness below. Ramza closed the pulley panel and descended the stairs to meet the others.

---

"That makes the last of them." Setzer grinned and dropped the large flour sack on another. He surveyed his work. The supplies that Mobliz needed were stacked safely in a large stable. Before the destruction of the World of Balance, he would have considered manual labor such as this beneath him.

He was a rich gambler with concerns bound for the skies. Then he met Celes, Edgar, and Locke. At first he helped them because he found the grand story of playing heroes against the cruel empire amusing. He'd stick along for the ride taking them to Vector and maybe even profit a little from the venture. He'd never expected to see the cruel experiments forced upon the Espers. He couldn't erase the scream of a particular Esper from his mind. It still lingered every now and then waking him from his sleep. Least of all he'd never expected to meet Terra.

The reason for him to fight suddenly became much larger than his own petty reasons that he held in the beginning. He was still the free gambler who refused to be grounded by anyone, but he found conviction in his cause when he learned Terra's story. Her entire life was robbed right from under her nose. Her parents were murdered by Emperor Gestahl. She was taken and forced to be the empire's plaything, a mere weapon to be tested on others. What upset him most of all was that Terra was then passed on to Kefka's wicked clutches. Setzer shuddered when he thought about the slave crowd stripping Terra of her ability to think freely and then being forced to murder innocent lives in Narshe.

He admired Terra though; she rose up vowing to defeat the empire to prevent them from harming anyone else. Terra after the World of Balance was destroyed rose up like a phoenix from the ashes defeating Phunbaba to aid the team once more in defeating their final foe: Kefka. Setzer gritted his teeth. Kefka had been the cause in all of this. He almost killed Terra and because of him she still suffered. No one else noticed, but he did. When Terra lost her magic she was fractured. She only was a part of who she once was. Setzer had only used magic for a period of time and he was able to cope with the loss, but for Terra the magic was a part of who she was. The magic was her and she was the magic. She may have never been raised with Espers, but she carried their dignity and grace. She may have been naïve and unsure of herself sometimes, but she always came through in the end and by far the most caring person Setzer had ever known. Even in death Kefka still hurt Terra. Terra agreed to become human, but lost a part of herself she could never reclaim. When magic died in the world, half of Terra died with it. That was the only reason Setzer needed to stay near her. He helped in small ways charting supplies around to Mobliz to make sure the small village had all of their needs fulfilled. Even with the supplies, life was still tough in Mobliz. The only living adults in the village were Katarin, Duane, and Terra in charge of a large group of orphaned children. Setzer cursed Kefka again for what he had done to those children's parents. He looked up from his own musings and went outside the stable into an open green field. A few berry bushes and fruit trees were scattered around the field disguising the horror of what Mobliz had become during Kefka's reign.

Setzer stalked closely to an apple tree and leaned against it. The ground here was so poisoned once that he thought nothing would grow ever again. The world healed itself, freeing itself of Kefka's poisons and oppression. With the growth of the first blades of grass came the hope and the will to live again. He scanned the fields looking for Terra and surely enough found her picking blackberries and dropping them in a large woven basket. Terra was a genius when it came to making household appliances and other necessities. At first her work was somewhat lackluster, but she caught on and learned quickly. Give her few strings and she'd return you a shirt that the fashion designers in Jidoor would envy. Terra was so engrossed in her berry picking that she didn't notice Setzer hovering over her. She leaned back and bumped into him.

"Oh!" She gasped and jumped into a battle stance. She quickly turned around ready to break the stranger's arm until she noticed it was Setzer. "I'm sorry Setzer. I didn't realize that it was you." She was about to continue, but he stopped her.

"Terra, it's my fault entirely. I didn't mean to sneak up on you. I came to tell you that I'd finished unpacking that last of the provisions. Do you need help with anything?" He asked preparing to squat down and help with the berries.

"No. I'm just about finished here. We should go back to the village now. I'm sure Katarin finished dinner now and needs help with getting the children all cleaned up from playing outside all day." She smiled. Terra really loved her children. They weren't hers; they were the orphaned survivors of Kefka's Light of Judgment. She loved them as her own anyway. Setzer offered to carry her basket back to the village for her. They trailed off into comfortable silence as they walked back to Mobliz. Terra often wondered how long they were going to go on in this partial courtship, if it really was even a courtship at all. Setzer never made any real advances at her. Terra wondered why he even helped her with the children and reconstructing Mobliz at all. Terra really did care for him, but she wasn't entirely sure if he had felt the same way. She thought once that Locke had loved her, but she was proven wrong as he and Celes ran for one another when they were reunited embracing and kissing like the world was going to end a second time. Terra didn't share her silent torment with anyone that day. She resented Celes at first for barging in and stealing Locke away from her, but eventually came to accept the relationship and became very good friends with Celes. She and Celes were like sisters, though Celes didn't obtain her magic naturally she could relate with Terra. Terra was extremely happy to finally meet someone who was like her. She had always felt very alone.

The love she couldn't bestow on Locke she instead magnified tenfold on the children of Mobliz. She first decided to help the village out of pity and because she had nowhere else to go. She wasn't certain if her friends had survived the debacle on the Floating Continent. However, Terra eventually came to love the children and treated them as her own. She smiled at the new memories she had gained with the children and readjusted her wide brimmed sunhat. She and Setzer were very close to the village now. Katarin and Duane probably had their hands full at the moment caring for the needs of sixteen children. Terra met Katarin and Duane only briefly on her first excursion in Mobliz in the World of Balance; in the World of Ruin they became her closest friends.

The wind whistled through the trees and blew around Terra. It carried the tell-tale hint of autumn in it. Soon there would be a lot of work to go around: harvesting the crops, mending and sewing entirely new clothes for the approaching winter, securing the stables so that the animals were safe, and building new furniture for the younger children who had outgrown their cribs. The hardest job of all was keeping the monsters and thieves at bay. The death of magic hadn't done anything to make the monsters and beasts in the world disappear. Only the most powerful had died with the magic and the weaker lost the ability to cast spells and some of their unnatural intelligence. That didn't make their fangs and claws any less dangerous though. When the world was ripped apart, reshaped, and forced to live under Kefka's tyranny, the people with few morals to begin with looted and pillaged along the countryside. Large cities that were still prosperous such as the ever wealthy Jidoor could afford a private army to keep unsavory bands of crooks away. The poor farming villages that dotted the world couldn't afford protection to rival that of Jidoor, and the villages were more often than not coerced by local gangs to pay tribute in the form of whatever scant gold they had, food, and sometimes the daughters of farmers. Crops and animals were still a scarce commodity in some parts of the world. The trees and plants had only recently begun to grow back. Mobliz was lucky to have a few sickly plants survive from Kefka's rule bloom into healthy strong plants again. Everyone had to sacrifice and still many starved to death in the new World of Technology.

The last time Terra had seen Edgar, king of Figaro and one of her dearest friends, he had promised to start combating these crime rings and other small time thieves who plundered food from farmers. She knew Edgar could fulfill no such promise instantly. Figaro was still rebuilding from its losses and the Figarian Council pressured Edgar more and more to quickly marry a queen to produce an heir and secure the future of the Kingdom.

Terra thought often of her friends. They were the most important people in her life. That was why she was so overjoyed when Setzer came to stay with her and help with the supplies and the children for a while. She'd never have imagined Setzer as the handyman helpful type. She knew he'd take her to another city when she needed transportation fast and knew that he was kind enough the ferry around supplies when she needed them in a pinch, but she hadn't imagined that he'd stay for an entire four months just to help with rebuilding Mobliz to its former glory and help with the children. Setzer never struck her as the type to be fond of children and it was true that he wasn't, but he was kind to them and played with them for hours on end if they asked. The children liked Setzer, and Setzer liked the children. He'd become pretty good friends with Katarin and Duane as well.

This was Setzer's final week in Mobliz; a wealthy landowner had paid him to ship supplies from Jidoor to the Vector reconstruction zone. Setzer disliked shipping jobs; they made him feel more like a merchant and less like a gambler each time he was commissioned for one. However, the pay was good and allowed him to buy small home in Jidoor, start construction on a new airship, and help out Terra. Setzer didn't feel right riding in the Falcon, even though he'd finally accepted and put his past with Daryl behind him. This was still Daryl's airship and the moment the Blackjack II was completed and tested; he'd place the Falcon back in her tomb. Terra and Setzer walked around to the back of Terra's home in Mobliz. Well, it wasn't just Terra's home. The large house was constructed from whatever lumber survived Kefka's vengeance on Mobliz. It was partially dug out underground to serve as a shelter in those awful times of Kefka's cruelty. She unlocked the door for him and led him to one of the house's many small storage rooms. He placed the berry basket on a worn old table.

"Hmmm…I smell dinner. I'll bet Katarin made some of her delicious pepper stew." Terra said, sniffing the air slightly. "I hope she didn't have too much trouble today with the children. Sixteen kids can be quite a handful sometimes."

"Don't worry, Terra, I'm sure the children weren't any trouble at all. I'm starving. Let's head off to dinner." With that final comment, Setzer offered his arm to Terra which she gladly accepted after removing her sunhat and the two went off dinner with the others.

---

Ramza looked up at the huge globe hanging over him in Mustadio's study. Unlike the globe that summoned Cloud, this globe appeared far more ancient with runes written from the top to the bottom. Mustadio and Besrodio circled it carefully as if it would awake any moment and swallow them up.

"Well, there's another difference that I can spot. It doesn't have a zodiac stone slot. So this must be activated by a command or spell. Heck, I have no clue. The runes on this are like nothing I ever saw. These might be another language entirely or wizard runes. However, it's nothing like the wizards used today. The wizards of our age only use the watered down magic that trickled down from our ancestors. Secrets to the really ancient and powerful stuff have been lost for thousands of years. For all we know this really could be just ancient version of a globe. I doubt it though. The technology of long ago was far more advanced than ours." Mustadio wiped his brow and deposited a wrench into one of his oil splattered pockets. Ramza could never figure out where Mustadio kept pulling all of those wrenches out of.

Besrodio nodded thoughtfully and tossed his opinion into the ring. "From what I've seen in some of my books," He motioned to a few books scattered on the floor, "I'd say these runes are definitely magical. I doubt the common wizard type of runes though. I'd say these might be Time Mage or Summoner Runes. Think about it: The Time Mages in the old world had complete mastery over time, or so the legends say, and the Summoners summoned great entities from higher planes of existence and other 'spaces' all of the time. I'd bet my newest Romanda gun discovery, which I'm very fond of, that this is another teleportation machine. Ramza, what do you think?" Besrodio turned to blonde who was sitting on a large crate at the moment with his head on his chin deep in thought.

"I agree with you, Besrodio. I think I saw these runes somewhere before. One of my summoners might be able to provide more information than I could on this device." Ramza jumped up, "I'll be right back with one of the summoner twins." He walked into the next room. Ramza's soldiers rested calmly in the large meeting room. An archer named Carmine whom Ramza had met in one of darkest levels of the Deep Dungeon reclined reclusively in a corner of the room. He nodded in recognition then went back to his own musings. A particularly excitable monk, Marty, waved at Ramza cheerfully. Ramza nodded back to the monk and scanned the room spotting his sister, Alma, and the twin summoners, Dionne and Barsia, sitting at a round table with their backs to the large fire behind them. Ramza stalked over to them and sat down at the table.

"To what do we owe the pleasure of talking to our ever elusive commander?" Barsia or Dionne, Ramza still wasn't fantastic at telling the difference between the two, spoke in a silent hushed tone. The summoner wrapped her green shawl about her as if she were freezing. She looked past Ramza, he was tempted to look back to see if something sat directly behind him. Summoners were more in tune with the spiritual world than any other type of wizard. They were a highly specialized class of wizard that took natural talent to begin with if the class were to ever be mastered.

The other spoke, "You would like to ask something, Lord Beoulve." This was Barsia; she always playfully mocked Ramza with the title of 'Lord'. She knew he detested any attachment to nobility and was overjoyed when she finally found a way to rifle with him.

"Actually yes, I do want to ask you something. You're both summoners and practiced time mages. I was wondering if you'd know anything about ancient runes. You're my best sources of information." Ramza looked at both Dionne and Barsia. They both tilted their heads back thinking.

It was Ramza's sister, Alma, who spoke up first. "I might know something about a few ancient runes. I did study in Orbonne Monastery. There were books on runes there-"

Dionne interrupted Alma, "I remember studying something with ancient runes. While we were in the Deep Dungeon, which is to say before we joined your party, our original excavation party was researching an odd device. This was a hidden level even deeper and more ancient than the END level. It was on the sixth of the fifth week in that horrible place that one of our party's master time mages triggered a defense mechanism by accident. He'd decided to cast a spell on the device to test it. The device counteracted the spell killing him and placing a seal of confusion on us. This turned us feral like the beasts in the dungeon. That was how we met you. If it weren't for the skills of your Mediator, who had woken us out of our daze, we wouldn't have lived to see another day. Maybe the runes you are looking for are similar to the runes that I saw. I was only able to translate a few of the runic symbols." Dionne paused waiting for Ramza to reply.

"It's worth a try just to see if you recognize any of the runes. If you don't then so what and if you do we'll see just how far this little discovery takes us." Ramza motioned for Dionne and Barsia to follow him.

---

Terra rested snuggly on an old sofa in the living room. She was reading a book that Setzer bought her when he was visiting South Figaro. The technology of her world wasn't extremely advanced. About twenty years ago scientists in Narshe worked out the mysteries of harvesting steam for electricity and heat. Entertainment wasn't extremely advanced either. Some towns had record players which played a few popular tunes. That was the way the world was though. After Kefka reshaped the World of Balance into the World of Ruin, he began to single out great entrepreneurs and inventors killing them off one by one in order preserve his own immortality. He didn't want anyone inventing a weapon that could kill him. Few record players survived today, only the extremely wealthy could afford such wonderful distractions. Terra remembered the first time she danced.

She hadn't always worn the slave crown that stole away her free thoughts. She was given four caretakers to look after her. One was Cid, a scientist, who studied her more than looked after her. She scarcely ever saw him; Terra often thought that Cid may have feared her. Another was a kind old woman named Miriam. 'Grandma' Miriam taught Terra everything. She taught Terra to read, write, and how to do mathematics. In reality the woman was a very learned professor of the Empire who taught many subjects involving magic history and theory to young officers of the Magitek Royal Army. Her third caretaker was Emperor Gestahl. He was caretaker in name only. Gestahl paraded Terra around Vector like an animal. He persuaded the people to support his cause telling them that the Espers had treated this poor child like a beast. They'd never learn that it was actually Gestahl who had murdered the peaceful Espers and that it was he who had stolen Terra away from her people not the other way around. The people blindly supported him. Her fourth caretaker was Kefka Palazzo, an ambitious young general with a bright future under the Emperor. Terra met him when she was seven. She liked him very much. He was kind and handsome. Kefka always had the most brilliant smile.

_A much younger Terra ran up the hall excitedly. Kefka was coming to the palace to have a council with the emperor today. She caught a glimpse of green armor and chased after it. Terra launched onto the leg of the wearer in the armor. Kefka looked down to see the small girl attached to his leg. _

"_Hello there, Ladybug." He gave her one of his classic dazzling smiles. _

"_Where did you go? I was bored and lonely. Grandma hasn't had any time lately to play with me. She's been busy with this and that," Terra pouted. "Will you play with me, Mr. Palazzo?" Terra finished in a serious tone giving Kefka a puppy dog look. _

_He chuckled and patted her head. "I promise to play with you later, Ladybug." He then smiled sadly. "The Emperor has something he wants me to do." _

"_Is it something really important?" She asked in awe after detaching herself from his leg."_

"_The mission is very important, Terra. It's a mission to the moon where I'll do battle with the evil moon monsters and rescue a young green haired princess. Now when I think about it, that green haired princess looks a lot like you. Hmmm…that's it you're the princess! Don't worry; I won't let anyone kidnap you, especially moon monsters. I'll protect you!" He declared playfully, twirling Terra around in the air. _

_Terra giggled and Kefka placed her on her feet beside him. He continued walking towards the meeting room and Terra bounced after him. Two guards opened the doors to the Emperor and saluted Kefka. _

"_Ah! There you are, Kefka. We have important matters to discuss this instant. Come in, and leave the girl at the door." Gestahl exclaimed not even looking up once from his papers. _

_Kefka frowned and knelt down to Terra's height. "I have to go now. I'll be back later." He kissed her forehead and went inside the room. _

_The doors shut with a quick snap behind him. _

_The last part of the conversation that she'd caught was something about a factory and magic injections. She was distracted when she saw one of the cats that wandered aimlessly around the palace and ran off to play with it. _

Kefka did come back; however, he was far from the same Kefka that Terra had known and loved. Terra didn't understand what happened to him until she was much older and Celes related the story that Cid told her on his deathbed. After the completion of the Magitek factory, the emperor began to sanction early injections of magical power into his subjects. General Leo refused because disliked the whole business of torturing Espers by draining their life force for power in the first place. The emperor was furious and ordered Kefka to receive injections instead. Leo held sway over the troops and there would have been a coup d'état on Gestahl's empire if he ordered Leo to receive injections. Kefka was a different story. He was a young and mostly unknown general who the soldiers of the Empire barely respected yet and much less gave their allegiance to. Kefka was on the whole stronger and smarter than Leo too. Smarter was an understatement, the boy was a genius from Narshe. Gestahl liked his choice and praised his own genius. The first test subjects, enemies of the empire had sickened and died. Cid finally claimed to have successfully perfected the serum.

_Kefka sat on the bench table in the middle of the laboratory waiting for the professor to inject the serum. He hadn't wanted this shot, but he couldn't refuse. It was an order from the emperor that had to be followed. It was either him or the Esper child, Terra. Kefka hadn't wanted anything to happen to Terra and gave his word to get the injections. _

_This place unnerved him. The walls were a mix of sterile white and the industrial grey of machinery. The whole lab reeked of antiseptic and death. It was a terrible mixture. Worst of all were the eyes. They were constantly on him. They accused him with hate filled looks. _

_The green glowing tubes of the imprisoned shined eerily against the rest of the room. The Espers, the spoils of Gestahl's war, glowered at him with anger and pity as if they saw a fate for him that was war more horrid than death could ever be. Cid turned a knob on one of the tubes and an Esper screamed in the voice of a hundred people suffering. She pounded against the glass, begging for mercy and until she crumpled against one side of the glass. The tube was smeared with blue blood from her fists. The tube shined with the intensity of the sun for a moment and then was dark. The Esper woman lost most of her ethereal beauty and appeared older and near death. A strange blue serum dripped out of a faucet that was connected to the tube that housed the Esper. It followed a path into a syringe. When the last drip of blue fell, Cid grabbed the syringe and came over to Kefka. Kefka gulped in horrid anticipation. The needle waved high in the air and plunged into Kefka's arm with eager hunger. It emptied it contents with blinding speed. The serum coursed through Kefka's veins weaving his vessels with sensations of fire and numbing ice. He screamed and twitched for what he thought were hours, but were actually only a few minutes. Then he slumped over with a sickly moan and Cid thought he had died. _

"_Another has failed-" Cid was cut off as a vice-like grip latched onto his throat. It was Kefka, returned from the dead with a new inner madness dancing in his eyes. _

The experiment hadn't failed by a long shot. In fact, Gestahl praised it as a shining success at time. Until Kefka's insanity became more and more obvious with each passing day.

_Terra thought she had heard Kefka before through the echoes that came through the palace walls screaming in pain. She was afraid and told her fears to her grandmother; Miriam comforted Terra and read her a story about a girl, a princess, and a glass slipper. A week later in the middle of the day a man entered the palace. Terra was sitting in a balcony that oversaw all things that happened in the entry chamber of the palace playing with an orange kitten to see him arrive. The trumpets blew in a fanfare welcoming Kefka back to the palace. Terra placed the kitten on a step and it skittered away as if it had some important business that needed attending to. The man paced forward with an arrogant stride. He wore a large robe filled with every color that existed. Every few steps he let out a high laugh that was laced with a bubblegum sense of madness. He had a sword at his side and feather stuck neatly in his hair. His face was covered in paint with intricate designs and colors weaving around his eyes down to his chin. All in all this man had the semblance of a mad clown._

_This man was not Terra's Kefka. She had to get a closer look; maybe her eyes were playing tricks on her. She ran down the stairwell only to bump into the emperor in the hallway leading to the entry room._

"_Watch out where you're going." Gestahl spat harshly. He was going to order the offender beheaded until he noticed it was the Esper girl. She looked sickly. Her green hair lay matted against her face with the sheen of sweat. She was rather pale and appeared that she'd vomit any minute. Her eyes were large and watery with unshed tears. _

"_I'm sorry." Terra managed to croak out. Her voice was quite unlike the happy tone she usually bantered in. _

_Gestahl immediately softened his tone. He hadn't gotten to be an old man with the world in his hands through stupidity. He wasn't going to tempt fate yet by getting on the bad side of a magical child with powers beyond his comprehension. "Terra, why are you upset? I know! You must miss Kefka; well he's back now. We can see him together." The emperor took Terra's hand and led her down the hall. _

_The clownish man cackled wildly when he saw the emperor and the girl. "It's been a while my liege, too long." He cast his gaze down to Terra. His face softened for an instant then contorted back into pain then back to the cold smirk he'd worn when he entered the palace. "Hello, Esper child." The man greeted and bowed mockingly. _

"_Who are you?" Terra asked. This was not her Kefka. Kefka was nice; Kefka didn't scare her like the emperor did. _

"_I am Kefka Palazzo. You should know that, Esper." The man chuckled darkly._

"_You're not Kefka." Terra shook free of Gestahl's grasp and backed away. This was a sick joke. That wasn't her Kefka. She fainted. _

_Terra woke up a few hours later in her room. Her grandmother sat in a chair at her side still unaware that Terra had awoken. She clicked her tongue, "How could they expose a little girl to that?" She demanded to no one in particular. "The poor child. Who would have known that the process would have scrambled his brain? Those monsters…" The woman finished darkly. _

"_Grandma…" Terra replied weakly. _

_Miriam blinked and turned to Terra. "Yes, dearie?" She asked. Terra didn't reply. _

_Miriam stood up and went to another side of the room. _

_The room suddenly filled the sound of a very popular opera._

"_I'm the darkness…You're the stars…Our love is brighter than the sun…" A beautiful female soprano sounded in the room. _

"_Things are going to be more difficult now." Miriam said looking away from Terra. "You're getting older. The emperor thinks I'm babying you. He wants you into the military as soon as possible. You're not like other children, Terra. You're special and you're meant for very special things. I might not be here soon. Remember that I love you. You might be forced to do things you don't like. You might have to hurt people. When that time comes, I want you to fight with everything you are against the Emperor's wicked plans. Do what you feel is right. Speak to no one about we've said." _

_Terra didn't have the chance to accidentally let a little of Miriam's conversation. Someone had heard, and the spy promptly reported back to the Emperor. Gestahl would bide his time for now. _

_Things did change rather rapidly for Terra. Two years later Miriam was fired by Gestahl and executed for betrayal against the empire. Gestahl needed a scapegoat to silence the recent grumblings against his leadership. Miriam was also feeding his project with dangerous new ideas. He'd overheard about her little conversation with Terra from a servant. He couldn't have Terra develop a moral compass anytime soon_.

Terra flipped a page of her book blinking back painful memories. Setzer noticed Terra fidgeting next to him on the sofa.

"Is everything okay?" He asked with genuine concern.

"Just thinking." Came her reply.

Setzer knew Terra wouldn't share with him what was on her mind until she was ready and he was willing to wait. He wouldn't force it. He just wished Terra would open up to him sometimes. He wanted to tell that he was here; He wanted to shout that he would listen if she'd tell. Setzer could never bring himself to say those things though, not after Daryl. Perhaps, he hadn't put Daryl entirely behind him yet. Setzer readily accepted the dice and cards as a distraction to his depression. He looked over to Terra and really did hope that she'd be okay.

Terra flipped another page not really reading and more so reflecting over her own life.

_Six years had passed now since Grandma was executed…seven since the clown who dared to call himself Kefka returned. Terra was fourteen. She was extremely advanced in her studies, further than most children and many adults could ever hope to be. She was a year away from the Vector's military academy. She still lived in the palace. She longed to leave the poisonous city of Vector. Its air was heavy with the smog of the world's greatest industrial revolution since the construction of Vector of itself. Terra longed to leave the palace itself. She could no longer stand the confines of the palace walls, its scant gardens, and single orchard. Her world was much too small and she needed freedom to fly. Terra was quiet and strange girl according to her few other peers that were frequently in the palace. She was still always running up and down the halls though. Either from someone or after someone. _

"_Pierre! Give me my necklace back. Now!" Terra gained quickly on the heels of the young imperial soldier. He was the son of Jidoorian nobleman. He was guaranteed to be kept far from the wars that the empire raged on distant continents. His only concern was opening the doors that the emperor walked through when he was on duty. Terra chased Pierre into a small room. It was entirely bare except for a red record player, a ceiling lamp, and a fireplace. Terra shut the door before and stretched her arm out menacingly in front of her. _

_Pierre recognized her fire summoning stance quickly handed her necklace over. "You win." He stated smiling sheepishly. The boy wanted to live past the age of sixteen. _

_Terra abandoned her stance and placed her necklace back on. When she looked up, Pierre was at the other side of the room examining the record player. Terra was slightly chilled and lit a fire in the fireplace. She loved small opportunities to use her magic. Pierre watched her with rapt fascination. _

_He turned back to the record player and fiddled with it a bit before a low sweet song sang out true filling the room with music. Terra turned off the electric lighting; she had always preferred the natural unassuming look of light that fire cast. The fire cast a shadow on Pierre's face that made him look older and mysterious._

"_Dance with me?" He breathed. _

_Terra accepted after doing a grand imaginary curtsey. They danced together all day and night silently. Gestahl was beyond furious when he'd found the two. He was worried that his experiment had escaped. Terra hadn't seen Pierre again for four years. _

_She was on the same pathway that she'd only crossed months before to the frozen Esper. This time however, Terra's aim for to protect the Esper from the Empire. She and her friends were the last line of defense that stood between the Esper and Kefka's men. It had begun to snow. Tiny flakes of crystal beauty wafted down from the sky one after another. She shivered silently. She looked to Sabin at her right and he flashed a quick goofy smile to comfort her. She glanced over to Celes who held her sword forward preparing the charge of the enemy. _

_It all happened so quickly. Celes and Sabin dispatched the Magitek armor first. It hulking bulk of technology soon transformed into a steaming pile of metal and flame after a few spells from Celes. One of the imperial soldiers charged at Sabin. Sabin parried to the left avoiding the scared man's wild swing. Sabin somersaulted over the man grabbing him by the neck. Sabin flung the soldier into the cliff behind him. The sickening crunch against the rocky face of the mountain removed all need to look back and confirm the soldier's death. Terra took the initiative and ran forward with her sword raised at the last of the enemy group. She felt Celes casting a protection spell on her. The warm glow of safety only hastened her attack. The soldier dropped his sword and stood arms outstretched for Terra's blow. He didn't dodge or parry and Terra's sword fell across his body leaving a cut from his shoulder ending at his hip bone. He fell backwards and his helmet flew off at the same time. Terra saw the familiar shock of auburn hair as his form crumpled into the snow. In these times of war and with the dwindling number of troops, the difference between a commoner's son and a nobleman's child ceased to exist. Terra's sword lay long forgotten at her side as she fell to her knees trying desperately to staunch the outpour of blood. She quickly began to call up the power for a healing spell. _

_Pierre weakly grabbed her hand distracting her, "No…I want to die here." Blood bubbled out of his lips slurring his speech making him difficult to understand, "Terra, I…" He died without finishing his sentence. _

_Terra thought she cried, but she couldn't tell; she was numb to everything around her and continued to grip onto Pierre's hand. Celes and Sabin raised her to her feet. There was blood in her fingernails. Terra forgot to wear her gloves that day. She touched her father's necklace and she stared off into the distance preparing for another onslaught of imperial soldiers. _

---

Setzer stared at his reflection the following morning. Terra had fallen asleep last night on the sofa and he carried her to her room. He went off to his own to rest up for the next day. When morning came, he pulled back his sheets and stalked off to the bathroom.

Today, he'd leave Mobliz for about three months then return with supplies. After taking a bath, Setzer tied back his long white mane of hair into a manageable ponytail with a nobleman's ribbon encrusted with the symbol of noble Jidoorian family. Yes, he had been a noble once. He was the last of the long line of the Gabbiani merchant family. He detested the pomp and the parties that he was forced to attend as a child. He hated the oppressive prudish fashions.

Setzer's father was beyond angry when he brought Daryl home. Daryl was well off, but she was by no means noble. Her family had come from Vector and settled down among the oldest noble families in Jidoor. She had a promising future as an engineer in modern science. His father had threatened to disown him while his mother cried silently in the corner at her son's terrible judgment. He left the house and never returned even after Setzer's father forgave him on his deathbed. Setzer accepted his father's apology, but Setzer still was determined to make ends meet on his own.

With Daryl on his arm and his vision skywards nothing was impossible. Setzer enjoyed the risks and the dangers of his new lifestyle. It was in a tavern one night that Setzer forged the name on which he'd flown for years. A rich man decided to test his luck in a bet with Setzer. It was a simple bet. If Setzer rolled twelve, he'd win the man's fortune. If he rolled anything less than twelve he'd give his entire inheritance to the man. When the dice hit the table, the man's fate was sealed. The man's only response was a grunt and his hand slamming a paper down on the table. He stumbled out of the tavern and Setzer never saw him again.

Setzer had found a new calling, he'd never felt such a thrill before. He learned every art of gambling. Winning or losing, he didn't care; Setzer lived for that thrill. The only thing that Setzer loved more than his new found skill was Daryl and she loved him as well. Everything he did, he did it with her. When Setzer finally amassed a huge fortune of his own he began to set out on building a new dream. Setzer and Daryl began to hire many of the greatest engineers throughout the world. With Setzer's lead an ambitious project began to unfold. He and Daryl were planning to build two airships. With a little experimentation they built the Falcon. It was the prototype to a second airship, Setzer's Blackjack. After the Falcon's first test flight; it was approved to be a fully functioning airship. The team immediately set to work on the Blackjack. It was a grand airship with a full staff a small inn and bar. The main attraction was the huge gambling hall at the top deck. Setzer, Daryl, and the team were pleased with what their work brought them, the first and finest airships in the world. Soon, there'd be more airships and the transportation system of the world would be revolutionized allowing trade and shipments more easily.

The dream was shattered the day Daryl died. Setzer and Daryl always lived for a thrill and loved to do nothing more than race through the skies. At the end of one of their races, Daryl flew on telling Setzer that she'd meet him later at their spot. He was planning to propose to her that night. He waited for her; hour after hour passed him by like water flowing through a funnel. After a day, he was worried. When a week had passed, Setzer went searching. The sight that met him when he saw the charred remains of the Falcon was unbearable. There was no trace of Daryl to be found. He restored the Falcon and placed it in a special tomb for her. He felt that she'd liked that.

He wringed the cloth and washed under his eye for what seemed like the fifth time that morning.

"I really have changed." Setzer remarked silently to himself.

Some time after Daryl's death, he'd locked away her memory in his heart and threw himself fully into gambling. He barely ate and gambled the night away. Then one night he hit rock bottom. He didn't like remembering those days and shook off the memory and examined what had happened afterward. He met Celes, Locke, and Edgar a few years later. For a while he could truly forget Daryl when he fought alongside them and Terra. Then the Floating Continent was destroyed and Daryl's ghost crashed back down on him when he found himself alone. It was his friends that saved him. He would have rotted away in that filthy tavern if it weren't them. Terra really was the person who dragged him out of his depression after he finally was able to come to terms with Daryl's death.

"Setzer!" It was Terra calling to him from the kitchen. "Breakfast is ready!"

He left the bathroom after looking himself over once. His black pilot's coat was perfectly in place. His white dress shirt was free of all stains and his pants were perfectly tailored. He was a very handsome man all in all. It was good day and he felt that he could afford a little vanity. Breakfast in Terra's home was one of the most riotous affairs of the day. Many children were gathered around a large circular table. Seats of all sizes and shapes were wedged against one another in the small kitchen. He used to never be able to see himself in such a setting before, but he found that he liked it. Someday, Setzer wanted to settle down with a wife of his own and have children. He settled into his seat, a large chair savaged from the dark hardwood forests that used to grow all around Mobliz.

"It's a lovely day outside. The children will be dying to play after breakfast." Katarin commented as she poured a small bit of strawberry syrup on her plate.

Terra looked wistfully out of the window. "It might be the last really warm day for the rest of this season. Autumn's coming fast. The children will need mended coats and we'll have to start preserving some of our fruit and meat."

Setzer sipped silently at his tea and thought of Terra. She really was person you could easily take a shine to.

"We'll have double the work this autumn and winter." Duane placed his hand on his wife's hand and smiled warmly at her.

"Oh?" Terra asked.

"Katarin's going to have our second baby this winter. If the baby is a boy, we'll name him after you, Setzer." Duane nodded in Setzer's direction smiling.

"I'm honored, Duane." Setzer replied back to the man.

"This is really wonderful news!" Terra exclaimed happily.

Katarin glowed with happiness and cleared her throat. "I'm not bedridden yet. Duane and I'll take care of the children and chores today. Terra, you deserve a break."

Duane nodded in agreement with Katarin and raised a hand to silence Terra. "Terra, you really do so much for us. You deserve a break."

"Well…okay." Terra replied.

"I'll clear away the dishes." Katarin rose from the table and began to pick up the dishes while Duane ushered off the children to the outside field where they could play while he worked with the eldest children in the stables and on the field.

Terra and Setzer were left alone at the large table together in the kitchen. An awkward silence ensued. Terra fidgeted with her dress a bit.

"I have to leave tonight." Setzer said abruptly.

"So soon?" Terra asked facing him.

"Yes. I got a contract with a merchant and I'm shipping a few things back and forth for him."

"I wished you could have stayed longer."

"I wish I could've too." Setzer glanced out of the window. "I'll be back soon though, Terra"

"How long?"

"About two weeks. Don't look so glum."

"I'll miss you, Setzer."

Setzer smiled affectionately at Terra and took her hand in his. "I'll miss you too."

The two settled into a comfortable silence each lost in their own thoughts. Warm wind blew in from a window behind them. The kitchen was still full of the pleasant smells of jam and Katarin's and Terra's cooking which mingled with the smell of late summer and early fall flowers. Terra sighed and shifted in her seat. She enjoyed days off. They gave her time to think. She was bit surprised when she realized that Setzer was still holding her hand. She glanced from his and her interlocked hands to his face. He was staring out of a window. She assumed he was looking at the sky. His silvery hair framed neatly around his face and for the first time today she noticed the ribbon that held his usually wild hair in place. A bird was engraved on the central stone in the ribbon.

The emblem was most presumably a family crest of some sort. There were dozens of emblems around the empire and the Figaro castle. Setzer never struck Terra as a nobleman, but neither did Edgar when she first met him. However, Edgar had all the grace, wisdom, and courage of a ruler and nobleman who cared for his people. She came to regard these as true noble qualities. Then there was the second kind of nobility which was the kind that Terra abhorred. The pompous guests of the emperor from every corner of the globe that struck down the sick and poor without a second thought was the example of the nobility Terra hated. Setzer possessed some of qualities of the first sort of nobility, but she couldn't see him dealing with all the restrictions of nobility. Setzer definitely didn't fit into the second type. He was as free as a bird and he liked it that way. After examining the ribbon, Terra realized how little she knew about his past. He told her bits and pieces of his life and what little he did let slip mostly revolved around his old love, Daryl. Setzer was a real enigma. In some ways she understood like no one else alive could and others she knew nothing about him. Maybe that would change someday and he'd open himself fully to her. Right now, Terra was just content to have Setzer sitting near her.

---

After a few hours of examining every inch of the machine, Barsia and Dionne confirmed that runes were a match to those that they'd seen in the Deep Dungeon. They couldn't be entirely sure until they saw the runes again for a second time.

Ramza sighed and stood from his resting spot in the study. "That settles our next course of action then." He motioned to Mustadio, Besrodio, and the twin summoners to join him at a planning table. The others took seats while Ramza stood and began plans for the next few weeks.

"We'll break into small groups so we don't rouse general suspicion. I'll travel up north through Igros and cut southeast to Warjilas Trade City. There are a few mapped out back paths that'll cut the time in half from traveling on the main roads. It'll also lessen the chance of what remains of the Church's heretic hunters. We don't really need to fear the Church anymore, but we mustn't get careless. After Funeral's assassination, the remnants of the Glabados Church have been on edge. They're looking for a scapegoat to cover up their crimes and weakness. At this point anyone will do for a scapegoat. They need the scapegoat as to prevent takeover by our new ambitious king, Delita. Delita is also someone we have to watch out for. The assassination of Queen Ovelia was no accident. I heard from a few contacts in the Zeltennian capital that Delita carried out the assassination himself and used the chaos it fueled to take control. I also heard that Ovelia wounded him badly in the process. That explains his lack of public appearances. He's no longer the friend I used to know and therefore he's dangerous to us now. Because I'm passing through the mountains, I'll take Marty, Carmine, Jen, Rad, T.G. Cid, and Alma with me. We'll leave tomorrow. The trip will take us at least three weeks on the backs of chocobos. I'll send Roland tonight on the last boat out of Goug to Warjilas to tell Daryl, Agrias, and the others that we're coming there to inspect ruins in the Deep Dungeon." Ramza scribbled down a few notes quickly and continued on, "Mustadio, you and another group will leave three days after I do. It'll look too suspicious with two large groups leaving a close-knit city like Goug at once. You'll be traveling through swamp and river land. The monsters there are rather nasty so I want a lot of magical backup with you. I'm still weary of Barius Valley after that encounter with the Squidlarkin tribe. I want everyone in Mustadio's team to wear the protective rings against mental muddling magic. Mary Ann will go with you. She's mastered her healing magic and will make a very effective paladin for this trip. I want Barsia and Dionne with you as well. Barsia, I want you to stay on black magic instead of summoning magic for a while and Dionne, I want you on healing magic. Summoning spells can be very tiring and during a trip through the poisonous marshes you certainly don't want to suffer from magic exhaustion and magic spore poison. Heinline will go with you as well. He's faster and more deadly from training with the hidden sect of ninjas in Riovanes. Stealth and speed are your friends on trips like these. Your journey will be considerably shorter than mine. Remember to pack sufficient provisions and keep out of sight as much possible when you're in Warjilas. That city is a stack of mixed cards; you'll never know who you'll see there. Mustadio I want you to record some of these runes down and share them with Daryl. I don't know what we'd do without that woman sometimes. She's a genius. I'm glad that she didn't return with Cloud. Dionne and Barsia, I want you two to collaborate with the other mages in sorting out the mysteries of these runes for now." After finishing the final layouts of his plans on paper he sat and looked around the table at his teammates expectantly.

Mustadio stood, "My team will travel under the guise of a chocobo caravan to Warjilas. Heinline will be dressed as a hired bodyguard. This will detract attention from us. We can't afford slipups; down here in Goug we're right the Holy City's thumb no matter how liberal we may appear. I'll also send out orders to ready provisions for both of our teams." He left the room leaving the others.

"Dionne will alert the other mages to come here while I study these runes a bit more." Barsia motioned to her sister who had already left to gather the mages.

Ramza looked over to Besrodio.

"I suppose I'll stay here and help the mages with the technical applications of this transport device. I'll also draw out maps and an overall layout of the machine for Daryl to study. There's only so much that magic and the mystic mumbo-jumbo that accompanies it can get you through. When your nature gods fail you and your spells die in your hands, technology is the only thing you can rely upon to keep you alive. I'm getting too old to travel. My adventuring days have long been over. I'll be more useful here." Besrodio gave Ramza a toothy smile which Ramza returned tenfold.

---

Nights in Warjilas often revealed the magic of the large continents and isles to the East. When the Ajora's Glory pulled into the harbor and anchored, Roland paid his fee and left the boat. The magical lights of the city played off against the ocean's waves. Warjilas was one of the largest cities in Ivalice and one of the few gateways to the outside world. A lively tune echoed from the beach and raised Roland's spirits a little. It had been a glum night and day on the ship. He set out from Goug yesterday under orders to deliver a message to Daryl and Agrias. A chill wind blew softly against Roland. He pulled his midnight blue cloak more tightly around himself. He was on one of the main roads of Warjilas now. The nights of Warjilas were just as lively as the day. The vendors of less than legal goods and the corrupt souls of Ivalice came to play.

A few happy drunks chirped to the side of the road as Roland scanned the streets for Ramza's familiar outpost. Ramza purchased it under a false name during the Lion War years. The control of the knights didn't stretch all the way out to Warjilas. The city provided an ideal hideout. The poisonous bogs and dangerous lakes that surrounded Warjilas made it only reachable by merchant vessels and the competing armies didn't have the resources to enforce law this far away. Only the daring or extremely stupid crossed the swamps and those were few. The few that did dare to cross usually died along the way. Reaching Warjilas by land was risky business.

Roland enjoyed the lights and sights of the city. The bright colors of weak magic made it all so much more exciting than Gallione. He nodded to a man dressed in bright robes in the doorway of one of Warjilas's many pubs. Roland was in the center of the city now. The center of Warjilas was the heart of its market. An exotic woman obviously from the Southern Continent was covered from head to toe in a bright blue robe and eagerly held out her hand to Roland offering to read his palm. He smiled and refused lightly.

A vendor shouted after Roland to see his mythical amulets. Roland decided to entertain him for a moment.

"What have you here?" Roland asked in a smooth businesslike manner.

"This amulet belonged to Ajora, our savior! Notice its fine silver. Look at the way it shines and the old etchings of centuries gone past. This relic is the holiest of holy relics, mind you! Wouldn't you want to have the healing light of Ajora around your neck? It eases cramps and pains. It'll get you a wife my dear man. I can smell it on you, the scent of an adventurer. Sooner or later you'll find God and his son, Ajora. You'll want a wife and family then. Accept Ajora's protection now and have no fear of later." The vendor smiled after finishing what he thought was the perfect sales pitch.

Roland chuckled, "I've enough of Ajora and his saving light to last me a life time good sir."

"That's blasphemy!"

"And so it is."

"You'll regret those harsh words someday adventurer. Seek forgiveness now and Ajora will give it."

Roland snorted. "You sir are a vendor of false relics. Look around you the world is crumbling. The days of the Church are finished; it has fallen in on its self."

It was the vendor's turn to laugh. "I've been trying to sell this amulet for a long time to adventurers such as you. Maybe the Church is finished. I don't know. I'm too stuck my ways to know any differently. My grandfather was a vendor and so was my father. Like the patriarchs of my family from the generations before me I am a vendor also. When the royalty abandoned us to the bogs of blood and magical poison left by the Fifty Year's War the Church was there to shelter us. When the Lion's War left us to starve from the lack of provisions to the South the Church provided for us. The Church is all I've known my entire life. Ajora created the Church and the Church taught us about Ajora. Ajora is forever and so is the Church. Farlem." The vendor finished his odd ramble of a prayer and ushered Roland on his way chuckling at Roland's ignorance.

"I pity the vendor." Roland muttered to himself sitting at an open bar bench. The vendor's words held some truth though. The Church did give some aid to the poor of Ivalice from one hand while it financed the wars to kill them out of the other. Warjilas's countryside had been beautiful once, but that was long before the Fifty Year's War when forbidden magic was still forbidden.

"The elders and the poor of this country don't know any better." A female voice replied to Roland's voice.

Roland looked to the source and noticed the woman sitting next to him. She wore a large straw hat pulled over her face and a short green dress in the style of the Eastern continent. Roland eyed her wearily. Security was lax in Warjilas, but not entirely nonexistent. There were possible spies on every street corner. The woman giggled.

"Don't be so stiff, Roland." The woman pulled back her hat to reveal soft grey eyes and strawberry colored hair.

Roland let out a visible sigh. "It's only you, Daryl."

"Only me? Feh…you should try being more discreet, my dear."

That's the way it was with Daryl. She was all giggles and fun when it wasn't serious, but the moment when she was required for an important task the playful façade was replaced by an experienced, serious engineer.

"_He _sent me here to tell you a message. It's a matter better discussed behind closed doors. It's a mechanical issue." Roland drummed his fingers on the bar counter. Daryl sipped at her drink absently.

"Is it another globe ordeal?" She asked looking at Roland suddenly.

"Sort of. Are you thinking of going back?" Roland asked.

"No. It's been far too long."

"Daryl, what are you afraid of?"

"It's not that I'm afraid, but it has been eight years."

"Eight years? But, it was only two years when you and Cloud arrived."

"It was different for Cloud. I was caught in rift for six years. I wasn't sure if I was dead or alive. The only thing that remained for me to do was count. I counted each and every second that passed. There's nothing left for me if I returned. I'm sure of it. Things are different now. That's why I chose to remain in Ivalice."

"I understand. Let's go. There are a few things we must discuss." Roland took a final swig at his drink and threw enough Gil down to pay for both his and Daryl's orders.

Daryl pulled a shawl around her shoulders and linked arms with Roland. They both strolled silently down one of Warjilas's many side alleys. The sound of music grew quieter and the light faded. Soon the pair could only hear the chirps of crickets and follow their path by starlight.

"We're alone." Roland announced suddenly feeling for the auras of others around him. The closest was an old beggar who was two alleys away.

"Good." Daryl replied.

"Ramza is taking a party up north through Gallione. I'm sure he'll stop off in Igros to visit the graves of his family. They should arrive in a few weeks. Mustadio and a few others are coming too. We've found something that may relate to another hidden room in the Deep Dungeon." After saying this, Roland untangled his arm from Daryl's. It was no longer necessary for the pair to maintain the façade of a young couple. Roland threw back his cloak to reveal the light battle armor of a ninja. His short swords hung loosely at his side.

"I see. It is another globe matter."

"The problem is that there's no zodiac slot for this machine. It might be even older than Ajora's time. We're pretty sure that the machine is activated by magic or some archaic command word. It's definitely mechanical. The machine might be the result of alchemy. Alchemy is a lost art in this world. Is it the same for you?"

"Yes and no. The magical wars ultimately decimated what little we knew of magic. The Empire kept what it did know veiled from the public. We all know about Gestahl's Esper girl that he paraded around to boost public opinion in Vector of the wars, but our magical knowledge is limited to that."

"Your world is interesting. I wish I could see it one day."

"Trust me, Roland. My world is not a pretty thing."

"Neither is mine."

Daryl let out a noise like a semi-grunt that didn't agree or disagree with Roland's statement. The two continued on in silence until they reached a small plain building made in the standard clay style of Warjilas. The walls in daylight revealed a dusty rose brown much like the sand in the far off Bed Desert, but at night they appeared the same color as every other building in this alley.

Daryl knocked softly at the door. It was a strong solid metal structure as was customary of all the doors in Warjilas. A city of sin and commerce provided a perfect home to many pickpockets and thieves.

"What lies under me?" A voice called softly behind the door.

Daryl replied, "Murond Death City."

Behind the door, Daryl and Roland both heard a series of locks being undone. The door opened to reveal a tall woman dressed in armor that appeared to be in her early thirties.

The woman's face crinkled into a warm smile.

"Roland, it's good of you to come. I know it is all business with you, but it's good to have extra company." The woman hugged Roland.

"Well, I suppose the same can be said about you, Agrias." Roland muttered into the woman's embrace.

"Suppose? You've always been the kidder Roland. Come inside. I'll assume you didn't eat a bite knowing how easily you contract sea sickness. I didn't eat either. How about a late dinner and you can tell me what Ramza sent you for and I'll tell the news we've heard from merchant vessels from Zeltennia." Agrias motioned for Roland and Daryl to follow her inside.

---

A/N: I decided that this was a good place to clip the end of the first chapter. There isn't much of a cliffhanger, but some questions still remain unanswered. What happened during the dark days of Setzer's life right after Daryl's death? What did the Daryl of Ivalice mean when she said she was caught in the rift? Why didn't Terra's necklace disappear after the death of magic? What are the Great Eight? What is the magic that protects the hidden cavern in the Deep Dungeon? And….Will Setzer and Terra ever end up together?

Cues the cheesy suspense music!

You'll find out the answers to these burning questions and more in the next chapter of: Across Worlds and Time. 


	2. Chapter 2

Across Worlds and Time

* * *

Sorry for the delay, I've had a few pressing projects that came up while working on this chapter. Be sure to tell me if there are mistakes; I've read over this chapter many times and corrected what I saw.

I wanted to start this chapter by responding to some of the reviews I received.

-Silenius- Right now, the story is split between Setzer and Terra's relationship and Ramza and his team discovering the secrets of the new globe. Later, the storyline will focus predominantly on Ivalice and Ramza.

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VI or Final Fantasy Tactics

* * *

Chapter 2: The Veil Over Our Eyes

Dusk was beginning to set on Igros' harbor as the small merchant vessel pulled into the bay. Sailors and merchants busied themselves with unloading goods and were too busy to notice a group of six exiting swiftly from the back. The group cut around to the back of a small building.

"Ramza, what now?" asked a hushed voice that came from the most petite of the six.

"We'll exit on the north side of the harbor; we'll be near the town and castle afterwards." Ramza whispered. A noise of protest sounded from the back of the group; Ramza silenced them with a sweeping movement of his hand. He motioned for others to follow him. They set into a brisk walk matching Ramza's pace.

They slinked around the buildings carefully avoiding the wandering eyes of sailors. The exit gate of the harbor rapidly came into view. The group walked through the gate quickly and onto a well trodden dirt path. They walked along the path in silence until they came to a fork in the path which broke off into three other paths. One path led to the castle town of Igros, another led to the newly built Summer Palace for royal court in Zeltennia, and the last led to the Beoulve Castle.

The path to the Beoulve Castle was rarely taken. The local townsfolk avoided the castle and all visitors to Gallione's capital had sense enough to do the same. No one ever questioned why the castle inspired such fear, but no one was foolhardy enough to visit the place to find out why. The fear began after wild knight crawled into the castle town half-mad and raving with stories of a monster beyond all description. The townsfolk saw no one else leave the castle. A group went to inspect a week later and no one returned. The castle lay abandoned after that.

Ramza pulled back the hood on his cloak and motioned for the others to do so as well.

"Are you mad, Ramza? We'll be caught if we go to the town with our faces revealed." A tall knight with dusty red hair called alertly from the back of the group.

"Don't worry, Rad. We won't get caught because we won't be staying in town." Ramza replied.

"Not in town? Where shall we be staying then, Ramza?" Alma asked looking up at her brother.

"We're going to the castle."

"There! That is madness, Ramza." Marty shouted.

"Marty, keep your voice down. I know what I'm talking about. It's free, most likely still furnished, and a great deal less dangerous than town. Nearly everyone in town has worked for my family at some point. They wouldn't know my face if it were hidden, but they'd know my voice. They'd know your voices as well. We all grew up here except for Carmine." Ramza finished his piece and walked down the third path.

The others followed. The sun sank past the mountains as they walked on. It was a cool, dry night. Crickets chirped off in the distance. The group was far from the lights of town now. A large foreboding forest swiftly grew larger as they neared it.

"Hold!" Ramza called to the rest of the group.

The team stopped and looked at him oddly.

"Alma, have a banishment spell ready. Marty, I want you to have a banishment spell ready also. Everyone else, draw your weapons and be silent." Ramza drew his sword while the Alma and Marty began chanting softly. Carmine drew his crossbow and nocked an arrow. Rad drew his sword and held it ready to slash whatever might come his way. Jen placed her staff in a defensive position and kept her eyes alert ready to chant a counter-spell should she be attacked. Cid drew his sword and continued on with the group. The old warrior eyed everything around him with expertise and extreme caution.

The group walked on until they reached the edge of the forest. It was dark and misty. The path was covered with overgrown and wild plants. The forest was slightly warmer, but damper than the open path that lay behind the group. A bird cawed in the distance and another answered. Ramza picked up the roar of a large animal in pursuit of prey. A squeal came from the smaller animal and then it stopped. The crunching noise of bones sounded next. Alma twitched and chanted another syllable to strengthen her spell. Ramza gave her a pained smile; he wanted to comfort her but didn't dare break her concentration.

The forest grew darker as Ramza and the others paced inside. Jen whispered a soft illuminating spell. Eerie green light surrounded the team. The dim light extended only seven steps in front of the group so that it wouldn't alert anything unfriendly. After an hour of hiking upward through the forest, Ramza allowed the group to stop for a quick break.

They settled on the only area that wasn't covered with vines back to back in a circle facing the forest outward. Carmine kept an arrow ready for whatever might spring out of the forest. Alma and Marty's concentration waned to a minimal level as they kept their spells dimmed but not dismissed entirely. Jen gathered the green in a circle above the group. The light illuminated the high ominous trees.

"What happened to this place? It used to be very nice." Marty whispered softly.

Carmine shrugged. "Dark magic leaves dark influences behind."

Marty looked over to Ramza to confirm this answer.

"He's quite right. Remember how the forbidden magic of the Fifty Year's War spoiled Zigolis Swamp?" Marty nodded and Ramza continued, "The magical residue of Dycedarg's spells and transformation into a Zodiac beast had the same effect on this place. It's hard to believe that the magic could ebb out and affect an area this far away from the castle. The magic used in the war was child play compared to the Zodiac magic. Be on your guard. There are more than spooky woods and animals lurking out there. We'll have to be on our guard when we reach the castle as well. I'll take the first watch when we arrive."

Ramza motioned for the others to stand. When everyone was resettled and ready for travel, Ramza continued onward. The forest seemed to continue on for hours. It was very late in the night. Ramza couldn't see the stars overhead; the trees crowded the celestial bodies out of the sky. Ramza halted the group for a moment. He dug in his pouch and retrieved a compass. Ramza signaled the group to the left.

After another hour of travel, tension began to run high in group. A feeling of uneasiness swept over Ramza and the others. Ramza had the sinking feeling that something was tracking them. Carmine sniffed the air. Cid glanced over to Carmine and tightened the grip on the pommel of the Chaos Blade. He recognized that look. Something ill favored was approaching and fast. Carmine paced to the front of the group with an arrow, newly spelled, ready to fire.

"There's something stagnant nearby." Carmine signaled with his free hand to Ramza.

Ramza nodded and motioned for the others to switch to signals before signaling a message back to Carmine, "We'll wait and see."

Not five minutes had passed when the group saw their elusive tracker swing from one tree to another. Alma fired off her banishment spell and quickly prepared another.

The creature cascaded to the ground and quickly collected itself. It was covered in thick, bristled hair. The thing had jeweled eyes like an insect and traveled on all fours. The spell had done minimal damage to the thing because it wasn't undead. The creature was vaguely humanoid and its eyes glowed with an unnatural intelligence.

Marty quickly dropped his banishment spell and began drawing the symbols for a fire spell in his fist. Jen mimicked Marty's actions with her staff. Carmine let an arrow fly before the creature had a moment to retreat to its dark haven. Ramza drew his swords, the Chaos Blade and Ragnarök, before falling into a defensive position. Cid mimed Ramza's position preparing for the creature's onslaught.

The creature yanked the burning arrow from its hind leg. A black substance began to flow over the wound healing it. The monster acted quickly. It fired up an enchantment of its own, firing the spell in Alma's direction. Alma was so absorbed in the incantations of her new spell that she didn't see the searing bright rune flying for her. The rune burst into icy spikes. Marty jumped quickly in front of Alma and held out his hand outstretched towards the monster. Marty's own fire spell engulfed the ice as it reached his hand not before leaving a searing cold that traveled up Marty's arm; his arm fell limply at his side. Marty grunted in pain. He rubbed his arm and received no feeling. The creature crouched in a low position revealing a full view of its horrid face under Jen's enchanted light. Pincers clicked menacingly where the thing's mouth should have been. It pounced towards Marty and Alma only to be incapacitated by Ramza's swords. One of the spelled blades ripped across the beast's abdomen and the other blocked its attack. Ramza parried backwards in a defensive position in front of Marty and Alma. Alma had broken out of her trance and dragged Marty off to the sidelines. She rummaged in her pack to retrieve a small green vial. With haste, Alma uncorked the vial and ripped Marty's sleeve. Rad and Ramza were dealing with the monster now, while Carmine nocked another arrow.

"Heaven's wish to destroy all minds! Holy Explosion!" Cid bellowed and pointed his sword towards the creature. It lurched once or twice when the holy flare of magic struck it. The creature recovered, but wasn't fast enough before it found itself bound within containing circles of light.

Jen studied the creature and watched Ramza and Rad near it as Cid charged up another spell. The wizard gave Ramza and Rad warning cries before releasing her fully powered hex on the monster.

Rad and Ramza ricocheted backwards and Jen let her spell fly. Three marks made of embers surrounded the hairy thing. It let out a terrible screech of defeat before the fiery enchantment engulfed it. Marty flexed his fingers on his now healed arm as he watched the creature burn. Cid sheathed his sword and watched the creature burn as well. Jen snapped her fingers extinguishing the flames leaving only the charred remains of the monster behind.

"Ugh. What was that?" Alma spat in a disgusted tone.

Carmine knelt beside the ashes of the beast's remains. He examined the fine powder in his gloved hand. He grunted in distaste after sniffing the dust.

"It was human once…carries the same scent as burning human flesh. Some magic warped it." Carmine remarked unenthusiastically.

Jen knelt at his side and examined the marks of the enchantment that the others could not see. "This is high magic. Even I'm having difficulty reading these runes. Alma, you might be able to understand some of the old magic." She motioned for Alma to join her.

It was a common fact that few knew about. Alma had once been joined with Ajora in her ultimate form as the Zodiac beast, Altima the leader of the Zodiac Braves. That brief instant of unity provided Alma with more magical prowess and insight than most wizards of the modern age could claim. She knelt close to Jen and Carmine. Ramza and Marty stood guard while the other three examined the monster's remains.

"Alma, do you recognize any of these marks?" Jen asked pointing towards the ground.

Alma squinted and her face screwed up into an expression of uncertainty.

"Some are clearer than others. This one…," She said pointing to horseshoe shaped rune, "This one means 'servant'. The others are puzzling. The circular shape is the rune spoken before any name of great power or importance. It's special. The rune is never spoken for the royal sort of importance, but for great deities or…demons. A half circle is used for lesser creatures like faeries and imps of some power. No connotation is used at all for common sorcerers. A great sorcerer might receive the half circle at best. It's odd. Perhaps, this was a rune of power left over by Dycedarg's transformation into Adrammelech. It's is confusing. The signature spell is all wrong for a zodiac monster. I haven't been around many, but I can tell. I'll have to check when we reach the castle."

Alma rose from the dust of the corpse; Carmine and Jen stood as well. Ramza reordered the group and had Alma and Marty summon their banishment spells once more.

"We'll have to make haste. It's only a matter of time before more unpleasant things come for us after that beast's shriek." As Ramza spoke he summoned a small haste spell through a series of gestures. "This is a weakened version of Hastega. The spell should speed up our arrival to the castle."

Ramza led the group onward until they reached a break in the forest onto a grassy hill. At the summit of the hill sat a large ominous castle. It was hewn from the limestone of the neighboring Mandalia Plains. Unlike the forest, the hill had a few sparse patches of plants here and there, but for the most part was populated with many stones.

"So those are our living arrangements for the night?" Marty asked pointing towards the castle.

"Yes." Ramza replied.

"Well, let's get a move on then. I want to scale these hills before dawn." Marty groaned.

The hills were quiet and oddly enough somewhat peaceful. The castle's hill was surrounded on all sides by the forest. The peace of the area was tainted by Ramza's sinking feeling that he was being watched once more. The feeling didn't come from the forest as the group's backs, but from the castle ahead. Maybe someone or something was watching from a shaded window. The moon was full and directly above the group's heads. The moonlight fell completely on the castle and the very stones of the foundation glowed with an otherworldly presence. Beoulve Castle had once been renowned for the moon's magical effect throughout Ivalice. Now, the glowing stones were downright eerie.

A decaying scent filled the air as the team neared the castle. It was the sweet, sickly odor of rotting flesh that had spoiled long ago. Alma covered her nose gagging. Ramza looked to Jen to see if she could do anything about the scent; she shook her head. Ramza sighed along with Marty. Carmine was the only one among them that seemed unaffected by the heavy stink.

The group walked on a rotting drawbridge that stood over a dried up stream.

"That much time hasn't passed. Why is everything in such a sorry state?" Ramza asked himself quietly.

"Forbidden magic is the answer, perhaps." Jen replied ominously.

Marty offered Alma his arm to keep her from losing her footing. She thankfully accepted.

"Wings to my comrades' feet and lift us to the gods. Floatega!" Jen raised her arms and shouted. A yellow light flowed freely from her fingers and encased the feet of the team. They rose slowly in the air and stopped when they were all at least a foot above the ground.

Ramza looked to Jen for an explanation.

"It will keep anything unfriendly from biting and keep us from falling into holes leading to more dangerous places." Jen shrugged and offered no further explanation.

"Or, this spell might have awoken every beast of dark magic that has been allowed to fester here in my absence." Ramza reprimanded. He wasn't angry with Jen. Ramza was actually quite pleased. He hadn't expected the castle to be this deteriorated, but he still had to reprimand Jen for acting without his order first.

Jen nodded and the group floated into the courtyard. They were surrounded on all sides by stone. The forest was nowhere in sight of the group. The flowers that had once made a garden that was envied even as far as Limberry all lay dead and withered at Ramza's feet. The trees were so gnarled and dry that tossing a pebble at a branch might shatter it.

Ramza sighed and traced the familiar footfalls to the grand doorway of the castle's entrance hall. Alma conjured up her banishment spell. Marty channeled his inner strength to his fists after releasing Alma. Jen gripped her staff protectively. Ramza and Carmine pulled back the large doors of the castle and the rest of the group tensed up expectantly.

"Welcome home, dear brother. We've missed you for such a very long time."

* * *

The Falcon landed at a familiar airfield in Jidoor. Setzer gritted his teeth. He hated his employer. Setzer really had no choice in the matter though. He needed the gold. The empire seized all of his financial assets and looted his home before Kefka took over while he was fighting alongside the Returners. The only money he had left was the money on his person and in the Blackjack, and even his old reliable airship had blown up as well. He was still considered rather wealthy, but financing the construction of an airship was no cheap matter. Most of his old staff had died in the explosion of the Blackjack.

He flew all around the world after Kefka's defeat looking for old scientists and engineers to help him on his project, and the few scientists that Setzer did find were often unwilling to help or demanded top price. He also needed a permanent crew to work under him as well. Financing all of those salaries when the world was still rebuilding and mending all of the losses was difficult. Setzer didn't have time to be picky. He swallowed his pride and accepted whatever work came his way. He didn't do it just for himself, but Terra needed all the help she could receive as well.

Setzer knew that everyone else couldn't be there for Terra like he could. Sabin had disappeared on a journey to find inner discipline and Edgar was swamped with the internal affairs of Figaro. Edgar sent aid to Terra when he could, but his region of the world hadn't recovered as well as Terra's had. Food was scarce in Figaro, and aid came even more sparingly to Mobliz. Terra understood though and she harbored no ill will towards Edgar. Locke and Celes were busy rebuilding too. They'd yet to settle down in one location. They lived vicariously. The famous couple could be spotted in one city and be seen on the opposite side of the world in a week.

Relm and Strago had found Shadow in their backyard a few months ago. The magical fallout of Kefka's death had transported him across the world. Shadow had many injuries and was still in an unresponsive coma. Gogo was just Gogo. The mime appeared whenever he felt like and often disappeared without a word. Mog and Umaro appeared for reunion parties for the team, but otherwise the two could not be found. Cyan lived in Figaro as a royal knight and protector of Edgar. He couldn't leave whenever he felt the need to. Cyan had new responsibilities and the kooky knight would always see them through to the end. The duty of aiding Terra with the children and rebuilding Mobliz fell on Setzer and he gladly accepted.

Setzer smoothed back a few strands of his unruly silver hair and tugged at his coat. He preferred to be in his normal pilot clothing, but formal employers called for formal clothing. He looked at the mirror and balked at his appearance. Setzer felt like a decorative peacock. His long red coat fell at his ankles and his shirt billowed out in the front like cotton candy when it's being spun. A ribbon layered the coat here and there. He plucked at the ribbons disliking them even more each second. Setzer snorted. His garb was quite fashionable by the standards of noble dress today, but Setzer was disgusted by it. He glanced longingly at his pilot's coat hanging in his closet. He sighed and exited his bedroom. He was on the main deck of the Falcon in moments. He glanced down to his young pilot, Matthew. The boy was a quick learner. Setzer entrusted the airship's flight to him after just a few months of practice.

"Matthew, I will return in a few hours. Please have six men outside to load the ship with various cargo goods and fuel the ship for a flight to Vector. The cargo goods should arrive a little before I come back." Setzer smiled at the boy and exited the Falcon quickly.

* * *

"Go on and get out of here!" The gunman slapped his chocobo on the rump urging it to run back to the meadows around Goug. His teammates mimicked his actions.

"Well, Mustadio, from here on we'll be roughing it." A female knight said while smoothing down her hair.

"Mary Ann, it's not at all as terrible as you make it out to be. Think of this as a little camping trip." Mustadio replied smiling cheekily at the knight.

"I felt better with the chocobos around." She replied sourly.

A ninja watching the exchange between the two decided to intercede.

"Mary Ann, if we'd kept those birds then they'd just sickened and died in the swamps. We didn't have enough poison rings for all of them and we most certainly would have had a time of it putting them on. Mustadio, I'd suggest that we make camp before entering the swamps. I'm not in favor of going in there tonight." The ninja pointed bleakly to a large open marsh. It glowed spectacularly against the shining moonlight. At night the bareness of the swamp was hidden, but the dangerous creatures within were hidden as well.

"Well said, Heinline. We have the chocobo cart and we'll take turns standing watch. Two for each watch slot. I don't want to be murdered in my sleep by anything nasty from there." Mustadio jerked his thumb towards the swamp and changed the topic of the conversation, "I really do hope Ramza and the others have made it to Igros safely. It's been a day since we've received their letter from Murond. Ramza really is a gutsy fellow stowing away on a ship as large as the one he described in the letter. He should have made it to the mainland a few hours ago. He's probably looking for a place to sleep now."

Mustadio and Heinline agreed to the first watch and let the others rest in the cart. They didn't set up a fire. The smoke would have been seen for miles on such a flat plain and the group certainly didn't feel like attracting unwanted company so late in the night. The air was cool and Mustadio was starting to get chilled. He shivered slightly and glanced over to Heinline. If Heinline was as cold as Mustadio was, he certainly revealed no signs of it; the warrior lay perched against the wall of the chocobo cart. Heinline was clad in his classic dark blue garb with his hands in reach of his twin swords should he need them. He scanned the swamp and the plains behind them and listened for even the smallest of sounds.

Heinline looked over to Mustadio. He wasn't fairing nearly as well. Heinline would have been better off completing the watch duty alone. He sighed silently and mouthed a soft warmth spell. He hated depleting his magical stores with spells like these, but he didn't want to put up a sick gunslinger the next day. Mustadio stopped shivering as warmth filled his body. Mustadio raised an eyebrow at the nonchalant ninja next to him.

"Thank you." Mustadio mouthed quietly.

Heinline nodded.

* * *

Roland picked through his late dinner. Daryl and Agrias sat beside him. He'd been stewing through what he'd learned from the two a day earlier. He looked down at his meal and smelled it curiously. It was some type of spicy soup with various chunks of meat in it. Ordinarily, Roland would have been thrilled to sample a new dish, but tonight was different. They were all being hunted again.

Just when Roland had thought the Church and the nobility had given up on them; he'd been wrong. It was true that the Church was still too weak to pursue its most rebellious heretics, but the current monarchy was more than happy to assist the Church. Roland gritted his teeth and fought back the bile that threatened to rise. Delita had once been a comrade and even more than that. Delita was a friend. Roland would have loved nothing more than to have been able to stab the man at the moment.

Agrias looked over to Roland.

"Are you still upset?" Agrias asked calmly.

"Why shouldn't I be? Delita isn't like this. It's just all so confusing." Roland took a forceful spoonful of his soup and banged his fist unintentionally on the table.

"Delita is a very ambitious man. You should know that by now. Sealing a relationship with the church will significantly lower his chance of being overthrown. Helping them rebuild would bolster his appearance towards the peasants as well. What's really a shame is that he has sentenced Olan Durai to burn at the stake for heresy. Ramza should have never run past him or buried a few of his notes. None of this would have happened." Agrias took a spoonful of her soup as well.

Daryl tired of watching the conversation without participating, piped up. "It isn't Ramza's fault. Those papers were left as the truth. They were a testament to our struggles to keep the world from falling into the darkness that would have been the Lucavi's rule. Those papers started a ripple and with Olan's papers that ripple will become a splash if the public were to ever see them. The world as we know it isn't ready for something as powerful as this. There would be riots and endless strife. Sometime in the future, maybe thousands or hundreds of years from now, those papers will be accepted for what they are: the truth. When we get enough information circulated around, I'm sure Olan can be rescued. We have other problems too. While the globe may represent an interesting find, dark things have been sprouting up through Ivalice. I'm not talking about your run-of-the-mill ghoul or anything, but really dark magic. It seems from the reports of townsfolk that strange new monsters are popping up in areas at random. I'll let you in a secret. These locations, for us, aren't random. Limberry has reports of the creatures along with Riovanes, and the area south of Dorter around the monastery. Recognize a pattern? We fought Zodiac beasts in those places. The monsters haven't been appearing in just those areas though. They've been seen throughout the Goug caverns and the old mines and tunnels. I believe that there were a few reports as well from Goland. There's more to this than it seems. It feels like there's a huge cloud hovering over us full of rain and at some point it's going to pour."

* * *

In a long hall sat a lone man against a high backed throne. He held a large glass of wine in his left hand and the right rested on the hilt of a great sword at his side. The lighting in the hall gave no indication of day or night. All seemed to be in a still equilibrium of no time. The man himself seemed to be a statue if it weren't for the occasional swish of the wine in his hand. The man was lean and swelled with extreme self importance. He was young or at least appeared to be so. The hall around him was carved from jade and ivory. Silver statues were perched against the walls. The stillness was broken by a figure scampering up towards the man.

The new man kneeled and sniveled. He bowed so low that his head touched the jade below him. He was weak and so bent with years of kneeling to the more important that his permanent position seemed to be one of bowing.

"Rise, servant!" The lord on the throne bellowed cruelly. The man rose and averted his eyes from the lord's face. The servant fiddled with the sleeve of his garb. He sniffled once more and awaited the next words of his lord.

"Is all prepared? Is the time near?" The lord questioned standing to his full height. The statues seemed a little duller and jade no longer impressive. All in the room dwarfed in beauty, richness, and power compared to this man.

"The time of union is near, my lord. Three weeks from now all will be aligned." The servant said submissively.

"Recite the beginnings of all so that I may know that you're not a total useless fool." The lord spat coldly.

The servant whimpered and began to recite, "The worlds began as one created by the divine ones. They created every living and nonliving thing. Most importantly of all, the sentient races of the land were created. We were created: humans, lesser demons, fairy folk, elves, and so on. However, the harmony of the world was not to last forever. The divine ones squabbled over who should rule what and about what is just and wrong. This led to the unharmonious discord that shattered the world. In the end, the divine ones decided to split apart the world into many worlds and realms. In this tier of existence, the middle realm, eight worlds exist simultaneously. The time of each world is different. This was decided by the chief divine one, whose name was lost to the passage of time, to keep the divine rulers of each world away from each other. The lesser divine ones even in all their power and glory hold no sway over time. A great hall was created between the eight worlds and the chief divine one resides there in deep trance seeing all the things that have passed and the things that will happen. He is and always will be until the very end unaware of the present."

"Good. You understand how important this union is now. Leave me!" The lord regarded his servant for only a moment more until he settled back into his throne. The servant cowered and limped away like a dog. The lord drank a small portion of the wine in his hand. He gripped his sword even more tightly than before. Thunder boomed outside. It was beginning to rain.

* * *

A/N: Who or what is in the Beoulve castle? What more will we discover about Setzer's past? Who is the lord of the jade hall and what does he mean by the Union? These questions and more will be answered in the next chapter of "Across Worlds and Time". 


End file.
